Increased plasma concentration of atrial natriuretic factor with squamous cell carcinoma invasion of the right and left atria of the heart

Article Abstract:

Squamous cell carcinoma was responsible for lung cancer in a middle-aged man who subsequently developed clinical symptoms that were due to metastatic lesions in his heart. A 47-year old man complained of dizziness and fainting daily for a period of 1.5 months. His standing blood pressure was 108/80, which could cause hypotension and account for his dizziness. Blood tests revealed low sodium and correspondingly low chloride levels. Laboratory tests were performed to assess whether or not the patient's low blood pressure and low sodium might be related to atrial natriuretic factor (ANF). This factor, produced by the atria of the heart, increases the excretion of water and sodium, and relaxes the walls of the blood vessels (thereby reducing blood pressure). The tests revealed that the patient's ANF was elevated over three times the normal level. An echocardiogram of the chest revealed mass lesions in the right and left atria of the heart. Six months earlier the man had received surgery for squamous cell carcinoma of the lung; the lesions in the heart reflected metastases from the original tumor. It is not known whether the tumor stimulated the atrial cells to secrete more ANF by stretching them or by affecting an endocrine pathway. It is also possible that the tumor secretes ANF. Although the precise source of the elevated ANF has not yet been determined, ANF does appear to be the source of the patient's clinical symptoms. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Measurement, Natriuretic peptides, Thoracic cancer

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Squamous cell carcinoma antigen in the diagnosis and treatment follow-up of oral and facial squamous cell carcinoma

Article Abstract:

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen was originally identified as a part of a mixture secreted into the bloodstream by a cervical carcinoma. Since its original description, it has proved to be a useful indicator of the presence of some forms of cancer. To determine whether this antigen serves as a potentially useful marker for oral and facial squamous cell carcinoma, the SCC antigen was measured in the blood of 40 untreated patients with orofacial SCC, 52 patients who had been treated and were currently without signs of disease, and 74 healthy controls. The average blood concentration was significantly higher in the untreated patients (3.8 nanograms per ml), than in the treated patients (1.2 ng per ml) or the healthy volunteers (1.1 ng per ml). However, when an arbitrary cutoff of 2.2 ng per ml was chosen to signify a 'pathologic' level of SCC antigen in the blood, only 15 of 40 untreated patients surpassed this value. Four of the 52 treated patients also surpassed the cutoff value. Postoperative measurements could be made on 28 of the 40 patients; all but one had normal levels of SCC antigen in the blood. The results would suggest that SCC antigen is not a useful marker for the detection of orofacial squamous cell carcinoma, but patient follow-up may determine if it is a useful means of monitoring patient progress and predicting relapse in the positive patients. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Diagnosis, Tissue specific antigens

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Metaplastic carcinomas of the breast: 4. Squamous cell carcinoma of ductal origin

Article Abstract:

Metaplasia is a reversible process in which the normal cellular makeup of a tissue changes. It is often a precancerous condition, and the composition of the cancer will reflect the metaplasia. The majority of squamous cell carcinomas of the breast arise from overlying skin. However, a few cases of metaplastic squamous cell carcinoma arising from the ducts have been reported. Among the breast cancers recorded at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, 22 examples of pure squamous cell carcinoma of ductal origin with adequate case histories were identified. Mastectomy was the initial therapy in all but one patient. The average follow-up period was seven years. Eight women developed metastases; these women had a mean survival of two years and all had died within five years. Fourteen patients survived over five years, giving a five-year survival rate of 63 percent, which is comparable to that observed in mammary spindle cell carcinoma and matrix-producing carcinoma, two other metaplastic breast cancers. A peculiar feature of metaplastic carcinoma is that metastatic disease may rapidly appear in individuals with negative (free of cancer) lymph nodes. In this study, five women rapidly developed metastases which bypassed the lymph nodes. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Breast cancer, Carcinoma, Ductal, Ductal carcinoma, Metaplasia

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